2008 civics test · Question 74 · 1800s

Name one problem that led to the Civil War.

Any one of these answers is accepted

  • slavery
  • economic reasons
  • states' rights

What this means

Several problems led to the Civil War, and naming one answers the question:

  • Slavery
  • Economic differences between the North and the South
  • States’ rights (disagreement over the power of states versus the federal government)

At the center of it all was slavery. The Northern and Southern states had grown apart over whether slavery should be allowed and whether it should spread to new states, and that dispute finally broke into war in 1861.

The simplest and most direct answer is “slavery.”

Why this is on the test

The Civil War is one of the most important events in American history, and this 2008 question asks what caused the split between North and South.

How this question is asked

On the 2008 civics test, the officer asks up to 10 of the 100 questions out loud and you pass by answering 6 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.

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